查看文章

A strategy to control the black sigatoka disease (Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet) of plantain (Musa ssp., AAB grou) in Africa, targeting the incorporation of durable host plant resistance, was initiated at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The commonly accepted intractability of plantain to genetic improvement has been challenged by the identification of 37 different, seed-fertile plantain cultivars and by the production of 250 hybrids in four years of breeding work. Twenty tetraploid hybrids have been selected for their increased black sigatoka resistance, high yields, large parthenocarpic fruits and improved ratooning. ‘Calcutta 4’ (Musa acuminata spp. burmannicoides) was the diploid male parent of 17 of the selected hybrids, which indicates that the inferior bunch characteristics of this wild banana were generally not transmitted to its tetraploid progenies. Conversely, the 4x progeny of …